Standard Mission: A Bitter Rain

Samael

Valley of the Queen hu? It's quite a glamorous title and of course the 'prestigious' Tulip seemed to be enamored by the title. Her eyes gleamed and her hands placed together as she walked under Zeyhr's shield.

"You get points, can't have myself getting too much rain. Would wilt my beautiful flowers!" Tulip stated with the flourish her petal in the air the perfume giving slight relief to the smell scent of dew from the heavy rain.

"Even royal guards, do you think she has a forest palace?!" Tulip stated with her eyes gleamed and more that Samael could swear he could almost see the stars in her eyes actually beginning to form as he seemed to stick back in the rain.

"Is the queen untrusting of humans for some reason, the guard seems rather tight? Though, I'm happy to hear she has an idea how we can help with the problem" Samael stated a bit nervous as he tried to keep his sword sheathed to not elevate the situation.

However, he couldn't help but stiffen every time one of the masked demon glanced through the corner of his eyes every time he tried to see them they seemed to move out of sight almost like they were assessing they were in control, that he was the one that would die if things south.

Salam - Northern Road

"My lady does have a palace, of sorts, in the valley." Sara responded to Tulip, although her eyes did not wander from the path in front of them. "You must understand, my lady is not untrusting of humans, as she once was one. However, her husband is incredibly protective of her, and these," she gestured to the demons flanking them, "are his way of keeping his bride safe in his absence."

A mysterious smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Rest assured, you are in no danger here. My coldness is mainly to avoid any unnecessary entanglements with the villagers. You see, my lady would not be pleased if one of her husband's guards were to wound a farmer that wandered into the valley. So, we actively try to discourage them from trying."

The road before them wove ever downward, towards the river, now nearly overflowing its banks. At first, it was difficult to see the structure through the downpour, which seemed to grow stronger as they neared their destination, but several erected poles with brightly colored silks hanging from them signified that they had arrived. Their escort didn't move away as they passed through a series of carefully constructed stone pools, several of them containing other demons, which showed only a mild interest in their group.

A moment later, Sara stepped beneath a stone ledge and into the cliff face. With a twist, her umbrella disappeared, and she gestured for the others to follow.

"Please, come inside. My lady awaits your visit."

The demons that had been following them stopped on either side of the entryway, disappearing as the last of the Vanguards entered the structure. Inside, more of the same demons stood in the hallways, silent and unmoving.

Spoiler:

A female demon, with skin the color of ice, stepped out of a nearby room and gave Sara a slight bow. "Under different circumstances, I would say that my lady might be excited to make your acquaintances." She spoke to the Vanguards. "As it is now, she is hopeful that you can help her with our current situation. I would caution you to not make any promises that you cannot keep."

Zephyr Arc - Northern Road

The atmosphere around the group slowly grew tense with the appearance of the masked demons, despite their guide's impassion. The Vanguards reached for the weapons out of caution, until Samael finally spoke after finally having had too much of the tension. It was only then that their fair guide deigned to tell them who these creatures were and why they were there. Husband, and and overprotective one at that, with the power to send a whole group of armed guards to hand around his wife all day? Not to mention her subordinates?

Zephyr was pretty sure he didn't like the sounds of that. At least, if he was anything like the last demon husband they'd had the displeasure of encountering. He shelved the thought immediately, preferring not to think about that. Oberon was a terror, even if it gave him quite an entertaining battle at the end of it all. Besides, he was only able to keep up with such a powerful demon thanks to Komori's buffs to begin with. Without that, he would have been a mere sitting duck in front of a demon of that level. Perhaps it was a good thing he wasn't in his right mind back then...

He snapped out of his thoughts when Cherry pinched his ear, informing him that they'd reached their destination. The 'guards' that followed them up to that point suddenly filed up on either side, and they were greeted by the sight of more, standing utterly unmoving on the inside. Yea, that certainly wasn't creepy at all...

Keeping his comments to himself, he replied to the blue-skinned demoness that appeared to address them. "We have experience with a similar situation, but we can't say anything for sure until we have more information. Rest assured, we'll do our best to be of service."- that begged the question, though. If the husband of this spirit, this 'lady' was so powerful, why didn't she just ask for his help? He knew better than to give that question breath, of course.

Samael

"Reminds me a bit of Titania and Oberon during that crazy summer event" Samael muttered to Zeyphr a bit at the mention of the husband and wife.  Though, those two were a lot more jealous than it sounded like between these two.  

The spirit was dashing though, the icy appearance and and well woven almost as it made by a designer of his level.  Though, while she resembled one of the fae creatures there was something different about her.  He wasn't sure what this demon valued truly, so he'd have to be careful.

"For now can you explain the problem from your view?  I want to get as much information as I can then we can get to promises." Samael stated with a cautious nod, as he pulled out with a booklet and ready to take notes.

Tulip on the other hand was memorized by the palace an icy domain truly fit for a queen!  Though she didn't like that Samael was eying up this women, she wanted to be the center of attention.... if he got too interested in another demon then....

"Anything that can stop the downpour, I'm going to wilt." Tulip dramatically whined in a way that looked like a over exaggerated actor that's the star of the play. As she placed the back of her hand on her slightly watered flower and slowly dropped to the ground.

The Valley of the Queen

"Thank you." The demoness responded to Zephyr. "My lady will be glad to hear that you are capable individuals."

She turned to Samael with a slight frown. "I believe that my lady can best explain the situation. If you'd be so kind as to follow me, I can announce your arrival."

Sara, who had been their guide up until this point, nodded at the demoness. "Yes, I believe it's best that you go ahead and present them." She turned to Samael for a moment. "I have some buisness to attend to while we're here, but I shall rejoin you when your conversation with my lady has concluded." With a wave, she turned down the hallway, disappearing from sight.

"This way, please." The demoness gestured towards a large, wooden door, covered in an intricate pattern of water lillies and amphibious creatures.

As she stepped through the door, her voice resounded in the room beyond. "My lady, Sara's guests have arrived."

In the room beyond the door, the Vanguards were greeted with a room filled with ornate carpets and pillows. One wall of the room was lined with a slowly moving pool of water, seemingly built from stone and clay. All manner of greenery blossomed in the shallow water, and the air over it was filled with brightly colored dragonflies.

Against the opposite wall, a seemingly grief-stricken woman sat amidst the finery, reclining against the pillows.

Spoiler:

"Greetings." She sniffed, offering them a watery smile. "I apologize for not being good company right now, but summer should have already arrived, and my husband is more than two weeks overdue in his return. He's never been this late before, and I'm concerned."

She sniffed again, taking in the group. "I'm sorry. Where are my manners?"

"My name is Kushinada. And you are?"

Zephyr Arc - Valley of the Queen

The group made pleasantries with the ice-colored demon for a time... if their exchange could be called pleasantries. Alongside some obvious gawking at the architecture and threadwork by Samael, the demon proceeded to lead them to their destination... finally taking the real first step on this mission of theirs, Zephyr hoped. They'd been chasing leads for a good while, and he was hoping they could finally make some heads or tails of the situation with this next meeting.

The group headed inside to be greeted by a strange sight. A purple-skinned demon woman adorned in what appeared to be giant combs sat at the end of an excessively luxurious room, looking forlorn and weeping up a storm. Upon their entry, she looked over and greeted them, apologizing for her current state. It seemed the husband they'd heard so much about on the way was missing in action. That certainly explained his previous query on why she hadn't simply asked for his aid, if nothing else...

She then proceeded to properly introduce herself. Channeling the merchant blood running through his veins, Zephyr did his best to return the courtesy, "No no, it's quite alright. We are Vanguards from the city of Chaldea. My name is Zephyr Arc, and these are my cohorts..." He began, gesturing to his company for them to introduce themselves of their own volition. "I hope this isn't a bad time, my lady. We received a request about an unusually long rain and were asked to find what may be the matter..." He spoke carefully. He'd had a slight epiphany as he spoke; perhaps the rain had something to do with their host's weeping? If his conjecture were right, a misstep in speaking may get them in trouble here...

Samael

Samael couldn't help but me mesmerized by the finery of the room. His mouth couldn't help but open agape for a few moments as his fingers tingled with fear afraid of messing up its beauty. Even getting close to some of the beautiful flawless water art scattered through the room that had colors shifted giving the water various colors.

"Impressive." Samael muttered quickly, as he turned to the saddened demon, as his face switched from amazement to sadness and empathy.

"I understand, I've been isolated from the ones I cared about before. I believe we could help each other." Samael stated with sympathy, as he covered his chest where his heart is nodding his head in respect to the demon.

Tulip approached from behind. Her mandrake leaves drooping to the ground as her body stunk of dew and rot from the amount of rain that has covered her in the past few moments. She took a deep breath but silent exhaled after Samael shot her a look.

"Please, I'd do anything to help." Tulip stated in attempted serenity, as he brushed one of her droopy leaves to the side of her head. A shame Samael only had ice spells....

The Valley of the Queen

"I've heard of these Vanguards, although this is my first time meeting with any in person." Kushinada wiped her eyes with a nearby piece of cloth, clearly trying to pull herself together enough for a lengthy conversation. "If you've been called, I can only assume that my husband's absence is having more far-reaching effects."

She sniffled again before pushing herself into a more upright position. "Perhaps it's best if I start by explaining how the weather cycle works here."

"My husband is a spirit of summer, and I am a spirit of spring. Every winter, he leaves, chasing the last days of autumn across the world, so that he can bring summer to another place."

"Then, he arrives when my season has ended, bringing the return of summer with him. This has been our way, since as far back as I can recall, but this year, he did not return." Kushinada sniffled again, and a tear ran down her cheek.

"Both his powers and my own are driven, to some degree, by our emotions. Spring is normally a time of hopefulness for me, as I await his return, but now, it has become rife with worry."

"Tell me, do the Vanguards have any way of finding my husband? He is too powerful a spirit to have simply vanished, but I have heard dark rumors on the winds."

Zephyr Arc - Valley of the Queen

The demon, Kushinada, quickly confirmed his suspicions about the strange weather. He internally sighed in relief at having caught himself in the middle of his words, as misspeaking there may have... complicated, their job here far more than necessary. These things tended to be temperamental, after all. No telling what she may have done if she thought they were putting forth an accusation.

Essentially, Kushinada needed to stop crying and be happy for the damned rains to end, and the only way to do that was to bring her husband back from wherever he may have been stuck... resisting the urge to smack his face with his palm, Zephyr instead began to reply to the demon instead. No point feeling sorry for himself at this juncture.

"Not to worry, madam. It just so happens I've experience with finding missing guardian deities." He told her. It certainly wasn't a lie, he'd done so not long ago. Not that it was a pleasant experience... "It would be of great help if you could let us in on these rumors, however, as it may be of aid in bringing him back as soon as possible."

Samael

Losing a partner hu? That would be quite a hard ordeal.

Samael pondered to himself, as he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt shock through him for a moment before turning up to face the demon with a concerned gaze. There were so many questions, and if her partner was like that Oberon fellow who knows where he could end up.

"Are there any demons nearby that you don't communicate with as well? They might have caught glimpses of him. Preferably ones that are more observant" Samael wondered as he turned to Zeyphr and took a quick glance at Cherry for a moment. She might be a good scout....

Tulip now finishing drying her leaves of the water took a deep breath as she turned to the demon as she blurted out with not too much care while lightly adjusting her elegant leaves, "No enemies right? If anyone is withholding information it's them."

Samael's eyes widened for a second at the mention of enemies, as he quickly moved in front of Tulip to silence her from saying anything further. He tried to keep a straight face to avoid arousing anymore suspicion.

"Well, those enemies probably wouldn't be bold enough to get close to a powerful spirit like that anyways....." Samael quickly chimed in as he felt like his heart skipped a beat for a second.

The Valley of the Queen

Kushinada shook her head at Samael's suggestion. "The only demons in this region are the ones that serve my husband and I. If any of them had seen him, I would know about it." She paused for a moment, considering Zephyr's words. "Or, at least, I would have said that until recently. There's been some talk about this mysterious Ring of Gaea, and while my husband is powerful enough that I doubt they would approach him, he's also impulsive enough to step into a bad situation that they've created."

Fresh tears leaked down her cheeks, and she took a moment to wipe them away once more. "Unfortunately, none of my resources have helped me in tracking him down." Kushinada turned once more to Zephyr. "You said that you have experience in finding missing guardian deities? Do you have any skills that can help me?"

She looked back and forth between the Vanguards and their demons, clearly hoping for a positive response.

Samael

"Ring?!" Samael stated with surprise. His mind immediately flashing back to their encounter with Ryoko at the bridge. It's where he originally met Goki after all, how could he forget a moment like that. More importantly, but him and Zeyphr encountered her.

He turned to his fellow vanguard and gave him a brief and assuring nod as he turned Kushinada with a fierce and focused look that his eyes had lacked a moment ago.

"I think we've both encountered a member of this ring in the past..." Samael commented to everyone in the room. However his fierce gaze soon shifted to a look of concern as he still felt the bruises from that fight aching throughout his body as a shock shot through him and her words echoed through his mind... commenting about him becoming stronger... and how...

"If that's the case, we might be able to recognize members of that ring! We can search the area where they were last scene and gathering information!" Samael stated a bit more eager they might of found a trail.

However, the only question is if they would actually be able to handle a member from the ring of Gaea....

Zephyr Arc - Valley of the Queen

Ring of Gaea, was it? What a mighty coincidence that they encounter the same shadowy group from their first mission in a place like this... and to be able to hold down what appears to be a powerful spirit like her husband... clearly they weren't some rag-tag group. This could get complicated.

"As he said, Madam. It appears we've had a run-in with this group once before. If you could kindly inform us on where they may have been sighted most recently... we may be able to track down your husband sooner rather than later." He spoke confidently, not letting any of his apprehension leak into his voice. Were they to encounter that first demon leader again, he was confident he wouldn't easily lose... but they may have problems if anything stronger popped up. Hopefully this husband of hers can be of help.

The Valley of the Queen

“I’m afraid I don’t have any information beyond the rumors of their recent activity in the area.” Kushinada responded before sniffing once in another attempt to pull herself together. “To the best of my knowledge, they haven’t encroached upon our territory, but that doesn’t mean that my husband couldn’t have encountered them on his journey back to me.”

“If I had anything to go on, I would be out searching for him, but without any information, I can’t just abandon the valley. After all, it’s my presence here that keeps the less tasteful demons at bay.” She glanced at the water feature on the wall with a sad smile. “Of course, my presence is also the reason that the rains haven’t stopped this year. I’m not unaware of the consequences, should I remain here for too much longer.”

“So, please,” Kushinada turned her gaze back towards the Vanguards, “will you help me find my husband? I can only speculate on his whereabouts, but I can at least tell you about him if you’re willing to listen.”

Samael

Samael solemnly nodded at the demon's conversation. She was in quite the moral dilemma and Samael could sympathize with that, she wouldn't want her home tarnished by the horrible demons that are more 'untasteful'. A work of art deserves to be preserved after all.

"I understand, keeping those demons at bay is important. Please tell us more about your husband, if it helps you we'd be more than happy to help." Samael stated with sympathy focused on the words of the demon to the letter, as he pulled out his drawing notebook to take some more physical notes on the demon's speech.

Tulip eyes seemed to lighten up realizing a solution was in sight as seemed like even the flower on her head unwilted in excitement almost like it corresponded to her mood instead of the rain...

"Stop that" Tulip silently muttered as she smacked Samael's hand away from the drawing book, looking at him with irritation in her eyes, "I can remember what she says, don't put stupid notes where your art should be."

Samael's hand recoiled back as he placed the notebook gingerly back into his bag a bit confused why Tulip would act like that. But he nodded all the same to everyone in the room, letting the conversation about the husband continue.

Zephyr Arc - Valley of the Queen

Zephyr nodded when Samael asked the demoness to tell them about her husband. It seemed that was the only way they were going to get any clues at the rate they were going. "As my friend here says, we may be able to get some clues from learning about your husband. As long as it's no trouble, could you tell us when he usually arrives and what routes he usually takes?"

Zephyr had conjectured that, if this husband of hers had disappeared en route, then it was likely they might be able to find him by retracing his steps. That seemed to be the only thing they had to go on too, of course... This was truly starting to look quite hopeless as far as the drought of clues was concerned. Holding himself from sighing, at least in the presence of their only source of information, he looked on hopefully, waiting for her to speak.

Cherry on the other hand pulled out from behind Zephyr's hair and flew over to the elder demon. "...Don't worry... Zephyr and the Vanuard are good at this stuff... I'm sure we'll find your husband soon!" She managed to squeak out, in an attempt to reassure Kushinada, nodding to her before returning to her seat on her partner's shoulder.

The Valley of The Queen

The queen took a long heavy sigh, as she ran her hand through her hair, the brushes serving as holds coming over it leaving a silk and wavy look almost like it was part of the ocean.  Her lost eyes seemed to acknowledge the pixie's words but it didn't seem to break it away from the dark storm that have clouded her eyes.

"As I said before, he should of arrived more than two weeks ago.  He's never late."  The queen firmly stated, as flower appeared in her hair a moment later that appeared to look like a water lily but the leaves were wilted and the flower's color had almost faded at this point.

The sad spirit slowly held the flower in the palm of her two hands as a strange blue liquid began to fil the flower causing it to regain only a small amount of its vigor.  The sorrowful queen's eyes darkened further at the sight as it seemed like the rain outside only grew louder and more menacing in response to her sorrow.  A thunderous roar erupted, filling the entire area with a blinding light for just a moment.

"My husband always brought me this flower as a gift every time he returned, I always tend to the flower until he returns to a new one.... It reminds me when we first met....  I was always annoyed when he left at first, but I knew he needed to clear the storms on the other side of the world as well"  The queen stated with a light nod slightly regaining her composure at the comment of the story.

Zephyr Arc - Valley of the Queen

Zephyr watched the demoness as she went through the motions, Cherry looking on at her sorrow sympathetically. For himself, she was just another demon, and therefore evoked no emotion. That was, besides a slowly growing annoyance at how little headway they were making with this conversation. They'd been on the same point for a good while now, and while he was normally patient, even he himself was starting to get weary of the entire back and forth charade. However, he let none of that show on his face as he listened as closely as he could. Regardless of how long-winded this may get- rather, because of how long winded this was, he needed to pay as much attention as possible to scrape any useful information out of it.

He crossed his arms across his chest, spear between the two, as she finished making her statement. That... was a lot less information, even, than he had anticipated. All they'd really learned was that he would arrive at the same time every year. It seemed she wasn't aware of a direction of what route he usually took or even the general direction. Suppressing the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, Zephyr grabbed at the only pieces of information that could prove to be of some use.

"A water lily. If you don't mind me asking... could you tell us a little about where it is you met, or where we might find a similar flower near this region? It's likely we may find your husband there..." He asked as respectfully as possible. He may not have cared for demons, but he knew full well how temperamental the stronger ones could be, and this one was in an especially fragile state. He wasn't foolish enough to want to make enemies where it could be avoided. Unlike what many likely thought at seeing him in battle, he wasn't going to just start swinging his spear and ask questions later no matter the situation. Whacking everything they come across would do little to complete the mission they'd been given, after all.

The Valley of the Queen

The demoness looked a bit surprised at the question asked by Zeyphr. Her emotions showed a mix of sorrow and longing as she placed her hang gingerly on her cheek and thought for a few moments before opening her mouth to speak.

"Well, the water lily was used as a gift the locals here would float down the river to honor the dead." The demon said raising the water lily in the air for a few seconds placing it on a puddle of water where it would peacefully lie their with a calm stillness, as she continued to say "In fact the first spot we met was at a river, where he had saved me from being scarified to a vile snake god. So, in a way, the flowers connection to the river is why I love it so."

Samael walked forward to Zeyphr for a few second and placed his hand on his shoulder, giving him a brief nod at his 'annoyance'. He also realized they were getting a lot ground, but the flower did give him an idea.

"Should we try going back to Wren? If this is known by the locals we could get more details from her." Samael softly interjected, as the lady from the apothecary would be the best bet in town to know anything.

Tulip simply gave a shiver, as she mumbled in a irritated tone, "And have the absent minded man knock water onto me again? Ugh."

Zephyr Arc - Valley of the Queen

It seemed his question had caught her off-guard as the demoness seemed surprised for a moment before answering, a deluge of emotions flashing over her face as she did.

Zephyr resisted the urge to smile as she spoke. With this, they finally had a clue to go by. Of course, that would entail figuring out which river... but with how rituals ended to be... Before he could finish the thought, Samael placed a hand on his shoulder. It seemed the other Vanguard had the same idea as himself, and made a sensible suggestion; to consult the woman they'd met previously.

Zephyr nodded, ignoring the complains of the flower demon. He looked back to their demon host. "Thank you for telling us something so personal, your highness. I believe we have enough information to wager a guess. We will do out best to bring your husband back quickly." He told her, then prepared to take his leave. "If you will excuse us, we will return soon with good news." As much of a rush as they were in, he was well aware the royal and noble types held their decorum close. He was a member of a merchant house in the end, so it was something he'd had to learn.

Valley of the Queen

The queen quickly rain her hands through her comb like her as the tension in her shoulders seemed to slowly fade away after the vanguard's comments.  She slowly moved her head towards the Apsaras who guided them earlier and gave a demon a simple nod.  

The ice on the demon's skin began to shine with a faint blue light, as blue crystal like eyes reappeared in the room and the ageless appearance of Sara gingerly stepped in from the doorway gesturing the two vanguards.

"Zeyphr was it?"  The queen stated as she blew the lotus from her hand and it floated down in front of Cherry briskly waving in the wind in front of the demon, "Keep it with you, it pains me but if hopefully the flower will draw my husband to you."

"Your business is concluded then I will guide you out." Sara commented briskly her eyes widening a bit at the sight of the queen handing the sacred water lotus to the vanguard.  Though, she gestured the vanguards to follow back out into the rainstorm outside.  Though, Sara seemed to be a bit uneasy this time as something was amiss, her body tense.

"Did you take care of your business?" Samael commented with a concerned look his eyes stopping at the lotus in Zeyphr's hand for a few seconds before Tulip hopped onto his should to take a look at the strange ageless woman.  The woman sighed and gave a look at the vanguards with a sharp icy glare.

"Someone has gone missing, but this time we were able to find a trace of blood before it was washed away in the rain."  Sara whispered as they were outside the hearing range of the queen, almost like she was trying to avoid upsetting the queen further her hand covering her mouth as she stated this to the vanguards "Apparently it was one of the boys at the tavern that was talking to JT but I haven't been able to find any of them to question them."

Samael eyes darkened but he couldn't help but feel a bit of relief at the same time, they were beginning to find clues and it was only a matter of time until this case was cracked open.

Zephyr Arc - Valley of the Queen

As they made to leave, it appeared the mournful queen had deemed them trustworthy, as she entrusted her cherished water lily to them. It floated over and have to a halt before Cherry, who stared in surprised for a moment before standing up on Zephyr's shoulder and gently taking it into her hands. She turned and gave a nod to the queen, assurance that she'd keep it safe until they could bring her husband back to her.

With that, the group were then lead out by the apparently ageless Sara, a look of shock momentarily coloring her features before she did so. As they stepped out, it was clear to Zephyr that she was oddly tense. It was a stark contrast to how she'd acted when they'd initially met her, so the difference was obvious from a simple glance. It appeared Samael hadn't missed this either, as the other man quickly moved into a searching question.

This elicited a sigh, followed by a sharp glare. However, rather than admonishing them or showing hostility, she then began to whisper to them what was troubling her. The whispers made it clear that she didn't want the queen to hear... probably a good idea not to further provoke a mournful guardian demon, Zephyr thought, nodding slightly in approval.

It appeared someone from the village had gone missing, and whoever did the deed had managed to leave traces behind this time. Strange, considering how clandestine every other abduction had been. Perhaps it was simply discovered too soon this time, or perhaps... perhaps their presence had caused whoever was up to no good to get impatient.

As they got outside, Zephyr raised his pavise over their heads and blew it up once more, keeping the group high and dry. "Alright, we have clues and potential witnesses to find. Now that we're no longer just groping around in the dark, let's get this done quickly... there's a small chance this slip up might be a sign of whoever's behind this starting to rush things, so I'm not sure we have time to dally." He said as he forged ahead, his pace increasing greatly.

Leaving Valley of Queen

"I agree" Samael stated in agreement with Zeyphr, as he held out his hand for a few moments before a spectral steed began to form from the ground as Samael quickly hopped on, "Zeyphr can you use your boost to keep up? I don't want to strain us too much before the fight but time is important."

Samael held out his hand for Sara to hold onto, as a reluctant Sara grabbed onto it and was pulled onto the unsettling steed. There wasn't a lot of space on the horse but it was enough to at least fit the two of them, as tulip vanished back into the gauntlet at the realization of this with an overexaggerated sigh.

Sara guided the group out of the valley, but it wasn't as populated on the way back. Most of the demons seemed to be out of view, occasionally a quick shadow of a green but very clean demon like foot could be seen slipping into a nearby cave.

"Don't mind them, the Kinnari have always been more sensitive to pain and fear, but they're nothing be afraid of" Sara commented briskly as the group quickly made their way out of the drenched valley and back towards the shrine covered in clovers that glistened in the downpour from the rays of light that somehow made it through the dense clouds.

"A shame I can't make another pot after the visit with the lady, but I believe time is urgent. The bloodstain was found on the east side of town, which would be the opposite side of town from the inn you were staying at." Sara breathed an exhausted sigh, as she hoped off the strange horse and sat down in one of the chairs instinctively grabbed the ornate tea pot in the center of the shrine in front of her, "Seems like a lot of the locals have gathered already though."

Samael perked up as he raised his coat where Tulip who had apparently summoned herself again was hiding out using his cloak as an effective makeshift umbrella against the rain. The plant demon gave a quick and proper curtsy of thanks to Samael before walking out under the protected shrine.

"You don't know if he's dead though, just injured right? If there's a gathering like that could you think of a place he might of run for help or hide?" Samael commented with a concerned look on his face, he wanted to talk to Wren as soon as possible but this attack being on the other side of the village wasn't ideal. He feels like it would be more of a waste of time.

"The best I can think is the bar, talk to JT he might not of heard the news and would know more." Sara commented with a nod in response to Samael.

Zephyr Arc - Valley of the Queen

As Samael summoned his steed, a slight glint of light overcame Zephyr's person for a moment as he cast Boost on himself. "Won't be a problem" He replied, charging into a sprint while the other Vanguard was still mounting Sara.

Cherry braced herself on his shoulder as Zephyr accelerated, the shield still held above them to keep the two dry as he made a beeline for the village. He made sure not to overexert himself, however, by pacing himself such that he wasn't simply eradicating his stamina reserves.

The valley seemed oddly lacking in demon traffic as compared to when they'd come in, save for strange green creatures that Sara somehow saw the need to introduce. Neat-freak green cave-dwellers "Kinnari", he made a mental note as he ran.

Shrine

At their speed, the group arrived at the shrine quickly. Amidst lament over not being able to... make a new pot of tea, Sara told them the location of the bloodstains while making herself comfortable.

Listening to her explanation and Samael's conjecture, Zephyr spoke while brushing rainwater off his shield. "Seeing as we're pressed for time, it may be more efficient to split up for the moment as we investigate. I'll take a look at the crime scene. You're much better with people so I'll trust you to handle the bar."

While he normally had a tendency to suggest courses of action and let other choose, it appeared they didn't have time for banter on this one. Hence, with those words he walked out once more, shield raised above his head again as it blew up. "We can keep each other updated with our Gauntlets, the village is small enough we can back each other up immediately if things go south."

With that, he struck the ground with the butt of his spear and vaulted into the air in the direction of the village as the shaft explosively extended.

Shrine

Samael's face went white having to go back to the bar again.  Ugh, it was bad enough talking to those people that didn't fit his style at all, dealing with all that again he'd rather just fight some demons.

"Sure, meet me when you're done, we'll meet up at the apothecary and ask questions together." Samael responded, as he steered his mount towards the tavern and with a heavy gulp and bolted off in that direction following the path they came to get here.

Attack Site

As Zeyphr quickly vaulted towards the victims home and grew closer to the east side of town, he noticed more and more people shifting out in the rain covering themselves with umbrellas and other protection from the weather as he grew closer to the attack site.  No one seemed to stay still in one place, as they moved from house to house quickly chatting with the people they pass.

If someone listened closely enough the subtle whispering could be heard but a hint of excitement could also be heard in a lot of the villagers voices almost like they were holding onto some kind of dark secret.

"Nothing like this has happened before!  How scary?!" A female voice said to a passerby in a tone of fear but despite the heavy rain Zeyphr had never seen the town so lively before.

In about a minute, Zeyphr finally arrived at the attack sight various people lingered around the house, but it seemed like larger and burly men similar to the ones at the bar were gathered at the front of the home quickly ushering the townsfolk away from the area like something out of a typical crime scene and police.

His eyes seemed to latch onto the vanguard the moment Zeyphr was in view carefully watching him like he thought Zeyphr was some kind of threat as he called out to someone else in the building who matched his appearance and came out in turn as well.

"The vanguard we've heard about, where are the others?" One of the guards commented with a bit of a worried expression.

Tavern

The west side of town seemed the same as when they first arrived.  No one was outside in the rain and even the tavern seemed to have less voices echoing from it before.  He wasn't sure how much info he could get from the man's friends, hopefully he doesn't end up startling them.

Samael opened the doors only to see any empty bar.  Hazel, JT, and everyone didn't seem to be there, the mugs of ale were still sitting on the counter as if they left quickly but it didn't look like any combat went on or someone was forced out of the situation.  

"Hazel are you here?"  Samael called out waiting for a response.  He gingerly stepped behind the bar counter and began looking around back for any signs of someone that he could talk to.